


The Yellow Iris

by lessiehanamoray



Category: Persona 2, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, M/M, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22519744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lessiehanamoray/pseuds/lessiehanamoray
Summary: Yusuke and Ann visit a florist to help get things rolling for a charity gala for Madarame's formal pupils. Yusuke finds a kindred spirit.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	The Yellow Iris

“I can’t wait to see what kind of shop your senpai suggested.” Ann bounced happily beside Yusuke. They didn’t spend a whole lot of time together these days, and spending a day shopping with her eccentric friend had been fun.

“Indeed,” Yusuke agreed. He had hoped Haru would come on this excursion, but the venue was giving them trouble. She’d told him to pick a couple arrangements he liked, with input from Ann, and she’d come by some other time.

If they had simply gone through a normal florist Haru could have simply selected her favorites, but Yusuke’s senpai had suggested they check this place out. While not officially a planner for the event, Yusuke took her experience planning galleries and art events to heart. Besides, as a sculptor, she occasionally used flowers in her pieces. 

“Is this it?”

Yusuke pulled himself out of his thoughts to see Anne gesturing to a shop window. A yellow iris was painted on the window, the name “The Yellow Iris” written in clear kanji above the petals.

Ann peered into the window. “Is it even open?”

Yusuke opened the unlocked door. “Apparently.”

She shrugged and went in ahead of him. 

It turned out the interior of the shop was tiny. It had a desk with some forms neatly stacked, a collection of vases, and a register. A staircase led upstairs and light flooded in from an open door.

Ann called out. “Hello? Is this the Yellow Iris?”

Yusuke looked over the vases. Nothing inspiring.

“I’m outside,” a lilting voice called. “Why don’t you come join me?”

Yusuke peered through the open door. A courtyard, beautiful and green, presented itself. He and Ann stepped out into a field of irises. Others flowers grew in pots throughout the yard, each plant carefully placed for optimal sun exposure.

A man stood behind one of the benches, carefully cutting the stems of a recent delivery.

If Yusuke were assigned to do a self-portrait of how he envisioned himself in five years, it would have looked like the proprietor of the Yellow Iris. Of course, he didn’t envision himself in an apron with a yellow iris pinned to the sides, but the face…

It clearly set Ann aback too.

The proprietor had black hair, cut almost exactly like Yusuke’s, and a similarly angular face. From a distance, he seemed a similar height too, though his long-limbed build probably made him appear taller than he really was. 

The man wore a small smile, welcoming yet distant all at once.

“How can I help you two today?” He gently set down the flower.

“We need some centerpieces for a charity event,” Ann replied, composing herself quickly. “Our friend told us to narrow down the choices before she gets here.”

He stepped toward them. “What sort of charity?”

Ann jabbed Yusuke in the side.

“Ah, yes, it’s for, well…” Yusuke absentmindedly tugged on the side of his hair. “It’s an art charity.”

The man tilted his head.

“Yusuke,” Ann hissed. “Tell him what it’s actually for.”

“It’s for the pupils of Madarame,” Yusuke continued shakily. “So they receive credit for their work.”

“I see. Do you need decoration throughout a venue or is there a meal component?”

“Ah, there will be a silent auction and a meal.”

“Haru’s, I mean, Ms. Okumura is making it her big social event for early summer,” Ann explained. “The paintings will decorate the hall and all proceeds from their sales will go to the original artists. There will be dancing, and a buffet with tables around the dance floor. I guess we need flowers for the tables and to decorate the buffet.”

“I see. It could be quite difficult providing you with the proper arrangement with artwork already on display. I wouldn’t want to impose upon the pieces for auction.”

Yusuke looked around the courtyard. There were no arrangements at the moment, but given the beauty of the space which surrounded them, he could see the problem. This wasn’t just a garden, it was an artist’s studio.

Oh, how he’d love to set up an easel here. While he preferred painting abstract concepts, he didn’t doubt he’d learn much painting these flowers. At least as much as he learned when he drew the human form.

“I grow the irises myself,” the owner explained. “Breed them too.”

“They’re stunning.”

The man smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to be one of the artists, would you?”

Huh?

“Yeah,” Ann announced proudly. “This is Yusuke Kitagawa. It was his idea in the first place.”

“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine. My name is Jun Kashihara, and I quite enjoy preparing arrangements to sit alongside the art which inspires them.” He looked to Ann. “My apologies, but I have yet to receive your name, fair lady.”

“Ann Takamaki. I’m a friend of Yusuke’s.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Takamaki.” Jun turned back to Yusuke. “I’d be happy to provide arrangements, but I must insist on fair compensation, even for a charity.”

“Of course. I know Haru will be happy to discuss it with you.”

“Well, with Ms. Okumura at the helm, I’m none too worried about the monetary. She has quite a glowing reputation among my fellow florists. No, what I'd like to ask first, is a small favor. Would you mind looking at something for me?”

“We’re supposed to be seeing some of your offerings,” Ann reminded him, and Yusuke.

“Exactly. My offerings are custom for every occasion, but I just recently finished a personal arrangement based on a print I received just as few years ago.”

“A print?”

Jun nodded. “From Madarame’s last exhibit before the scandal. I am rather hopeful you can identify the original painter for me. I want to ensure credit goes where it’s due.”

“Wait? There were prints for sale?” Ann looked over to Yusuke.

He nodded slowly. “Not many, but he always said prints provided a way for a visitor to remember the feelings the original evoked.”

“Every time I see it, the feelings I felt upon seeing the original resurface. Looking back on it, I’m sure it was done by a pupil of his, frustrated at seeing their talent used for the gain of another.” Jun moved to another section of the courtyard, gently plucking a small red flower from an overflowing pot. “Art allows us to express ourselves when words no longer suffice.” He handed Yusuke the small flower. “When we know we must speak, but not what to say.”

Yusuke gently slide the stem between his fingers. 

“That’s a petunia, right?”

Jun nodded. “I used quite a few in my arrangement.”

Yusuke smiled. “I’d love to see it.”

The apartment is just upstairs.” Jun headed for the door. “I’ll have to prepare some tea for you. Hmm, yes, and if you wish to wait for your friend here, perhaps Tatsuya…”

He led them inside, mumbling to himself the whole time.

  
  


“Are you okay?” Ann asked Yusuke. She sat beside him on a couch facing Jun’s print. A print of the same piece she had admired at the exhibit two years ago. A print of a painting Yusuke had created. On a small stand in front of the print stood a replica of that painting made entirely out of different colored flowers. They all appeared to be the same type, but neither Ann nor Yusuke were quite sure about what it was.

Ann had left Yusuke to his thoughts for a few moments to update Haru, but the way he stared at it worried her.

“Of all the pieces he could have selected…”

“Is there something wrong with my choice?”

Jun returned from the small kitchen with a small tray of tea. 

“Admittedly, I would have preferred a brighter print, but Tatsuya picked it out for me after hearing how much I adored the piece.” He carefully poured the tea.

“Haru said she can be here in about half an hour.”

Jun smiled. His small smiles were beginning to disquiet Ann. There was a frustrating there not unlike Yusuke’s painting.

“I’ll tell Tatsuya to bring over some treats then.” Jun pulled out his phone. A red orchid charm danged from it.

Yusuke looked at the floral arrangement. 

“Not the most original route, but it was a fascinating exercise. I don’t usually handle such compact arrangements.” He set his phone on the table. 

“It’s not your arrangement which bothers me,” Yusuke assured him. “You use flowers as I use paint, and I have come to accept that an artist must practice with whatever inspires them.”

“I’m glad you understand. I want to try something more abstract, but when I got all those petunias in, I just knew I had to try this.”

“Um, why petunias?” Ann asked.

“They are flower of resentment, yet innocuous in their use. At first glance, this painting reminds me of a forest at sunset, and yet upon closer inspection, you feel the frustrations of the artist. It doesn’t come across as clearly in the print as the original, so I suppose I wished to enhance the sense once more.”

Ann remembered how she’d felt upon seeing this same painting in person. And how Yusuke had responded. Looking at him now, she saw the same pain on his face.

“Have I insulted you in some way?” Jun looked squarely at Yusuke.

“I didn’t realize there were prints of this piece.”

“500. It was a rather limited run.”

Yusuke glared at the framed art print. “It’s all wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“As you said, this printing is far too dark, and it fails to capture the emotion properly.”

“Yusuke.” Ann gently patted her friend’s shoulder in an attempt to call him down.

Jun merely continued smiling. “Fails to capture the emotion? If we are in agreement that the primary emotion was frustrating, then it seems to me to have fulfilled its duty quite well.”

Yusuke’s eyes jumped over to Jun.

“You are quite frustrated looking at it, are you not?” Jun turned his attention to the artwork.

Yusuke looked to the floor. “I never knew they made prints of it. To see my work in such a way, in a format I would never have agreed to…”

“So it is yours.”

Jun quietly stood, moving over the print. He wordlessly slid it free from its simple frame. With barely a sound, he held the offending image to Yusuke.

“It has offered me inspiration, and was a fine and thoughtful gift, but if it brings its creator pain, then I want you to have it. To do with as you will.”

Yusuke gingerly took the matted image in shaking hands. 

“Are you certain?”

Jun took his seat once more. “I suppose I shall have to find some other piece to decorate my wall. None of yours would happen to be at auction, would they?”

Yusuke slowly nodded. “From both my time with Madarame and after.”

“Then I’m sure I’ll find a suitable replacement.”

Ann grinned. “You intend to come?”

“I intend to discuss it with my fee.”

A bell rang as the door swung open. 

“Jun! There’s a Ms. Okumurua here to see you!”

Yusuke and Ann both jumped. This voice was the opposite of Jun’s, brash and loud, and very honest. When Jun spoke it felt like he was hiding something, when this newcomer called up the stairs Ann instantly imagined an energetic man in a basic suit, one he had probably already ditched the tie on.

Sure enough, the moment they heard the apartment door open, a suit jacket and tie flew across the room to land on the empty seat across from Jun.

“Welcome home, Tatsuya.”

“I got your mont blanc.”

“Hello, Ann. Yusuke.” Haru gingerly stepped in from behind Tatsuya. 

“Hey, Haru.”

Jun stood. “I’ll get the dessert ready.” He looked at Tatsuya. “You get into something which makes you less grumpy.”

Tatsuya began walking for a door on the other side of the room.

“Heh-hmm. Suit and tie, too. We need space for our guests. Besides, I’m not ironing it just because you forget to hang it up.”

Tatsuya yanked his stuff off the chair. 

“Why’d you take the painting down?”

“The artists didn’t like the print.”

Tatsuya hovered behind Yusuke and Ann. He didn’t have the same lengthy appearance as Jun, but he felt physically bigger. Much bigger. Ann almost couldn’t help but tense for a fight.

A loud slap filled the room.

All eyes turned to Tatsuya and Jun. Tatsuya had Jun wrapped tight in his arms

Jun laughed.

They kissed.

“Recovered enough to change now?”

Yusuke just about dropped his print in the tea.

Tatsuya once more headed for the door.

“Sorry for startling you. It’s just hard to resist when he walks by me like that, even with guests.”

Jun went into the room to divide up the pastries.

Ann, Haru, and Yusuke all exchanged glances.

Haru spoke first. “I guess they’re partners.”

“Well, it is Shibuya.”

It had startled her, but honestly realizing Jun had a partner made Ann feel a little more comfortable around him. It provided a reasonable excuse for him to be just barely hiding something after all.

Jun returned a moment later, with carefully halved mont blanc cakes and fresh tea. He had poured out enough for everyone, including Tatsuya, by the time his partner returned.

Ann choked. 

Tatusya came out wearing a red shirt with a black x across the chest, and matching pants. They appeared solid red at first glance, but as he moved to sit beside Jun she could see that the fabric was actually quite textured. The match and fit, for the pants expertly clung to his frame, were perfect.

“Oh, Ann!”

“Sorry, but that’s…” she gestured to Tatsuya’s clothes, “a Kirishima original, isn’t it?”

Tatusya didn’t even seem to understand the question.

Jun placed a hand on Tatusya’s knee. “His brother is a good friend of Ms. Kirishima’s,” he explained.

“Kirishima?” Haru muttered.

“She’s a fashion designer known for her unique looks. Instead of focusing on one body type or build, she insists on variety from her models and is known to design clothes based on personal acquaintances.”

Tatsuya just shrugged. Jun distributed the snacks.

“Now, Ms. Okumura, as I was telling you friends, I would love to participate in this event, but I need more details.”

“Well, I’ve got the venue lined up. Yusuke and his senpai were going to work on layout. Would it help to involve you?”

Ann tuned out. Glancing over at Tatsuya, he seemed to do the same. He wrapped a hand around Jun’s and didn’t say a word. Still, he looked quite content. Jun’s excitement seemed to calm him.

She wished she could feel that easy sitting between Haru and Yusuke. For all she loved Yusuke, he still made her feel a little uncomfortable at times, as did Haru. 

But Tatsuya and Jun, they were completely at ease with one another. 

Tatsuya only spoke once, when Jun explained why he had handed Yusuke the print, and then to approve of his partner’s decision. 

By the time Haru, Yusuke, and Ann left an hour later, not only was Jun Kashihara signed on as a planner, but he and his husband had tickets to attend.

Haru called a driver for them to make it easier for Yusuke to carry the print.

“Ms. Ryugamine gave us quite the accurate recommendation.” Haru grinned at Yusuke. “Mr. Kashihara cares just as much about the art as you.”

Yusuke stared at his print. A smile crept across his face. “Yes, he’s quite inspiring. He and his husband.”

“Oh?”

Yusuke flipped over the print, to show Ann and Haru the back.

_“Jun:_

_If loving you is my sin, then I accept my punishment._

_Eternally yours,_

_Tatsuya.”_

“No wonder Mr. Suou got upset when he first saw you with it.”

“Weird way to express love though,” Ann mused. “I don’t care if they’re both guys, loving each other isn’t a sin.”

Yusuke gingerly ran his hand over the note. He then looked back up to Ann.

“What?”

“My painting was never the inspiration.”

“If it’s love, then why did he talk so much about frustration?”

“He must want to shout it from the rooftops,” Haru theorized.

Yusuke nodded his agreement. “Hmm, given that, perhaps I can fix this faulty copy.”

“I think that would be lovely,” Haru agreed.

Ann nodded. “I’m sure he’d like it back.”

“Yes, but first I must see what such a frustrating love inspires.”

Secretive smiles, though Ann, and husbands who come home angry. She thought of how comfortable the two had looked holding hands. How sure of each other.

It was kind of inspiring, actually. In its own way.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the rawest short story I have posted here. I just, really really really wanted to write Jun and Yusuke meeting, and I've had this idea for Haru and Yusuke joining forces to host an event for Madrame's previous pupils for a while now. 
> 
> This is my first non-ShuAke P5 fic, and honestly getting everyone's voices was kind of rough, especially for the P2 people. It's been a while, and I still haven't finished Eternal Punishment. Still, hope it was enjoyable.
> 
> Also, the painting in question is the one Ann mentions she wanted to see when they go to Madarame's exhibit with Yusuke.


End file.
